title: Effects of nimodipine on the cerebrovascular and neuronal changes during pneumococcal meningitis in the rat.
abstract: It was investigated whether treatment with the calcium channels blocker Nimodipine, a 1,4-dihydropyridine derivative, influences vasculopathy and neuronal injury in experimental pneumococcal meningitis. Rats were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups. The first group (Control group, n = 20) was given saline (0.4 ml/day) intraperitoneally (i.p.), whereas the second group (group C, n = 22) was treated only with ceftriaxone in a dosage of 30 mg/day/i.p.. The third group (group C-N, n = 22) was treated with the combination of ceftriaxone 30 mg/day/i.p., and nimodipine 0.6 mg/day/i.p.. Treatment was begun at the time of inoculation in all three groups. The control group was compared clinically and histopathologically with groups C and C-N at 24 h, three and six days after inoculation. Six rats in the control group and eight rats in group C and group C-N were sacrificed at 24 hours and seven rats in each group were sacrificed on the third and sixth day after inoculation. Clinically, there were no significant differences between group C and group C-N (p>0.05). There were significant differences between group C and group C-N for vasculopathy and neuronal injury (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.005, respectively).
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hoşoglu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ceviz
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kemaloglu
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sari
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inalöz
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Geyik
authors.forename: O F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Kökoglu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ayaz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008586:Meningitis, Pneumococcal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D009553:Nimodipine